The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings review roundup

The first UK reviews for Namco Bandai's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have gone live, and critics are delighted with what the former PC-only title has to offer.

While it runs on what would have been medium graphics on the PC version, this is a very small cross to bear for a game that brings itself to a mainstream audience – a place it deserves to be,” Videogamer stated in its 9/10 review.

While not necessarily as big a name as the products of BioWare or Bethesda, The Witcher 2 is still one of the most interesting developments in RPGs within the last ten years, and with a combination of additional content and cutscenes its Enhanced Edition on Xbox 360 is one of the most lovingly crafted fan-services you'll find.”

Eurogamer also scored the title 9/10, saying: The Witcher 2's timing is prescient. As Game of Thrones dominates the television ratings, just as Skyrim has dominated the game charts in recent months, the cultural appetite for fantasy is as high as it's ever been.

Despite the competition, however, The Witcher 2 has an air of unique wonder about it. There's a weight and detail to the mythology that is beguiling, but CD Projekt's skill has been in making this relevant and meaningful to the player.

Where endless talk of mythical factions, rivalries and loyalty can drag even the best fantasy fiction down, in The Witcher 2, the backstory is as compelling as the plot that darts through it. And the weave of systems and story ensures that here is a legend as beautiful in the reality as it is in the telling.”

There was yet another 9/10 from NowGamer, which concluded: Throughout The Witcher 2, checkpoints can be a pain too, occasionally leaving you stranded, unprepared, on the wrong side of a major battle. Still, none of its rough edges as a PC port prevent this from being an epic, atmospheric and demanding RPG that you should play right now.”